What your kids are watching online: 6 tips for parents who care

vlogs

The generation of parents in the early 2000s watched reality shows on TV. Now their kids can't stop watching lifestyle vlogs online. This once again shows that the desire to observe the lives of others is a constant, not terrible, and sometimes useful thing.

Sharing their everyday life, vloggers show, among other things, hobbies and hobbies that can interest a child. Following a favorite author, a teenager can start reading more books, sign up for sports or take up vocals. But even if it doesn’t come to action, videos from the Internet will broaden your horizons. For example, travel vlogs will help you learn more about other countries and cultures, while foreign content will help you improve your spoken English.

Challenges

Dancing kids in malls are not a worldwide conspiracy or a flash mob. Most likely, a new challenge is going viral on the Web and young content makers are trying to ride the wave. Boring Boomers roll their eyes and say, "There's nothing else to do." But in fact, challenges are not only a way to be “fashionable”. They provide an opportunity to show off and get the instant approval that many teenagers need. Challenges also allow you to be creative and try new things. By repeating the movements from social networks, the child can light up dancing and do it professionally.

By the way, challenges are not always about choreography. They can be funny - remember "chubby rabbit» with marshmallows from the early 2010s, or useful ones, such as Ice Bucket Challenge. Then everyone was doused with cold water to draw attention to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and raise money for charity.

unboxing

The genre of video reviews in the unboxing format - simply unboxing - seems to have always existed on the Internet. The first such video that gained popularity on YouTube was the unboxing of a smartphone. The format is in demand even now, besides, it has also taken root in the children's segment of the Internet.

Bloggers are opening boxes of food, clothing, gadgets, toys, and more in real time. Watching such videos is not only exciting, but also useful. They help teenagers learn about new products and get acquainted with trends. And being on the same wavelength with classmates is important for self-confidence.

Unboxing also allows you to form an opinion about the product in advance: to check how promises from advertising correspond to reality. It turns out the same review under the goods on the marketplaces, only more detailed, with a video and from the author, whose opinion the child trusts. This approach will help you choose the right things more consciously.

DIY

What used to be called “Bring a zucchini craft to the school fall fair” is now proudly called DIY (Do It Yourself - Do it yourself). This genre includes a very different range of content: from origami to the ubiquitous slimes, around which there is its own children's blogging community.

Just like school assignments, DIY blogs help develop fine motor skills and creativity. Only, unlike educational crafts, here the child himself chooses what he wants to create, therefore he is engaged with great enthusiasm. According to tutorials from the Web, it is possible to create not only toys and souvenirs, but also useful things like office for school.

If you notice that your child likes to turn on videos and make crafts, offer your help. For example, with the whole family, work on handmadedecor for children's room. So you will spend time together, support the interests of the child and help him take DIY masterpieces to a new level.

Experiments

Above oneself and others, scientific and extreme, funny and not very funny. More than one millionaire blogger has built a career in this field. But this kind of content is not new to the internet age. Television shows, in which presenters dispel established scientific myths and test rumors, have been gathering huge audiences since before YouTube even existed. For example, it was from her that many learned the secret of the explosive reaction of cola and Mentos dragees - bloggers mix them for the sake of fun content until now.

Many of the experiences of today's content makers fall into the category of fun education. Not every school has equipped laboratories, and it is difficult to get carried away with chemistry, only by solving problems in a notebook. The missing visual material can be obtained on the Internet. For example, see how bloggers do volcano model or tellwhat happens if you mix vinegar and pomegranate juice.

Streams

Live with the ability to comment is the easiest way to feel in touch with your favorite blogger. This is probably why streams on the Internet are carried out from time to time by all public figures. But still, streams are mostly a story about online games.

Sometimes parents do not understand well how a child can watch someone else go through a quest for several hours. But this hobby still has a meaning. Around streams, as a rule, a community of fans of a particular blogger or game gathers. In the comments, the teenager finds communication, and sometimes good friends. And on gaming streams, they learn the secrets of passing a particular game, which can also be important for your child.

But there are streams with more tangible benefits. For example, from bloggers who make educational content. Instead of games, they go through assignments for the OGE and the Unified State Examination, tell interesting historical and scientific facts. Such learning assistance can be a good addition to regular classes. The teenager will receive knowledge from the blogger in the language he speaks.